Hidden-market promoters are using social media platforms to run “giveaway” competitions offering powerful, unlicensed weight-loss drugs as prizes, raising serious safety and legal concerns.
Investigations by the Guardian have uncovered WhatsApp and Telegram groups promoting substances such as retatrutide, an experimental medicine not licensed in the UK or anywhere else. Some groups are pressuring participants with time-limited contests, claiming entrants have “just 24 hours” to join or claim injections.
Experts warn that these practices are extremely dangerous, as sophisticated digital marketing strategies are being applied to unlicensed pharmaceuticals.
One WhatsApp group, BioUK Research Peptides 2, advertised what it called its “biggest giveaway yet,” offering an “ultimate peptide stack” including retatrutide (Reta) 20mg, Glow (GHK-Cu) pens, and melanotan II (MT2). The post urged in block capitals: “Last chance to enter – 24 hours left!”
- Retatrutide is an experimental weight-loss drug still undergoing clinical trials and not approved for medical use.
- Glow pens contain copper peptides marketed for skin repair and anti-aging, but pre-mixed injectable pens are unlicensed and not approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
- Melanotan II is an unapproved tanning peptide that can increase melanin but may cause dangerous side effects. UK health authorities warn that melanotan injections are illegal to sell and unsafe.
The giveaway required participants to add three friends to the group and follow accounts on TikTok and Instagram. A video shared with the Guardian showed a spinning wheel of 85 entrants, with a single winner chosen.
UK law strictly regulates many of these substances. Prescription-only drugs, including GLP-1 weight-loss injections, must be dispensed through licensed pharmacies or healthcare providers. Unlicensed drugs like retatrutide cannot legally be marketed or sold, and distributing them through social media competitions violates medicines regulations. Products from hidden-market sellers carry significant risks as they lack safety checks, quality control, and medical oversight.
The BioUK Research Peptides 2 WhatsApp group currently has 1,024 members and advertises next-day delivery.
A separate operation, BioBlue Cosmetics, also trading as BioBlue Fitness, markets “skinny jabs” disguised as exercise programs. Its website features female-led coaching content, but inquiries via WhatsApp and Telegram revealed that the “coaching” was a coded reference to unlicensed weight-loss drugs. For example, “Get fit with Rita” indicated retatrutide doses. One administrator confirmed to the Guardian that customers were not signing up for workouts but were purchasing injections: “The 20 mins is 20mg, 40 mins is 40mg, and 60 mins is 60mg.”
Emily Rickard, a University of Bath research fellow, said:“Giveaways, countdown timers and raffles are classic pressure tactics designed to override caution. Using these to promote unlicensed injectable drugs is extremely dangerous, as it discourages people from considering the legal and safety implications.”
Dr Piotr Ozieranski, also at the University of Bath, added:“Highly problematic digital marketing techniques are being applied to unregulated pharmaceuticals. Promoting powerful injectable drugs as ‘prizes’ rather than controlled medical interventions is deeply concerning.”
Neither BioUK Research Peptides 2 nor BioBlue Fitness responded to requests for comment. BioBlue deleted all messages in its Telegram channel, citing “changed settings.”
Both WhatsApp and Telegram prohibit the sale of illegal medications under their terms of service. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, confirmed that content attempting to buy, sell, trade, donate, or gift weight-loss products is removed when detected.
The ongoing promotion of unlicensed weight-loss drugs through social media giveaways highlights a growing online public health risk, with potentially severe consequences for unsuspecting participants.
